Apostle · Feast day July 25
St. James
The feast day of St. James is July 25, a feast in the US Catholic calendar. Traditionally invoked as patron of Spain and pilgrims.
Life
Son of Zebedee, brother of John, mending nets when the call came. With Peter and John he made the inner three — at the raising of Jairus’s daughter, on Tabor, in Gethsemane. Jesus named the brothers Boanerges, ‘sons of thunder,’ and thunder they were.
He asked for a seat at the Lord’s right hand and got instead the Lord’s cup: first of the Twelve to die, beheaded by Herod Agrippa about the year 44. Compostela, where tradition brought his body, became medieval Europe’s great pilgrimage.
Patron of
Tradition invokes St. James as patron of Spain and pilgrims.
Saints with the same patronage
- St. Teresa of ÁvilaSpain · October 15
Patronages are traditional, not an official list. All patron saints in Bless, A to Z.
In the calendar
The upcoming dates, through December 31, 2028, when Bless’s Today screen shows St. James. Where the US calendar keeps another celebration that day, it is named instead and no rank is given.
Readings
No dates are left in Bless’s published calendar, which runs through December 31, 2028. St. James keeps July 25 in Bless’s calendar of saints: see the saints of July.
All the saints of July Born on July 25? A saint for every day
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